Message by Larry Thacker Jr from August 25, “Unless You Repent”
How often do you hear the word, repent. It just doesn’t come up in normal conversation. We mostly hear it in church, and even there in many cases not as often as we should. One of the ladies who used to attend would stop me every time I used the word to ask me what it meant. I don’t know if because of her condition she truly could not remember from the last time or if she was making another statement entirely, but some questions only God can answer.
It is something we can all use reminding about from time to time. Repentance is an essential part of the message. We better know what it means. We love to share, and rightly so, of how Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. We urge people to accept Him, but if we leave out repentance, we have accomplished nothing at all. The hearer is left in the same condition as we found him, destined for Hell. Many people who attend church and do all the “right things” are in no better condition. They have never truly changed direction. Once when Jesus was teaching, some people came up and told him about how King Herod had killed some worshipers even as they were making their sacrifices. Jesus asked them if they supposed these people to be worse sinners than everyone else. He says, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3) He then offers a second example with the same conclusion. Jesus preached a message of repentance. His disciples preached a message of repentance. So did John the Baptist, and so did the early church. God is good and full of mercy. He will wait, but He will not wait forever. Our passage this week is from Luke 13:1-9.
